"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(T)he presence at the Victory Parade of a country that bombs cities, hospitals, and daycares, and which has caused the deaths and injuries of over a million people over three years, is a shame," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"I have great hope that an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine will be reached this weekend," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 9, shortly before traveling to Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland, and the U.K.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Kyiv early on May 10.
The United States embassy in Kyiv on May 9 issued a warning that Russia could launch "a potentially significant" attack in the coming days, despite Putin's self-declared Victory Day "truce."
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
The first recruits under the ‘Contract 18-24’ project undergo initiation in the 92nd Assault Brigade on March 16, 2025 in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Polina Kulish/Gwara Media/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Russian forces used the supposed temporary Easter ceasefire to reinforce positions and prepare for renewed assaults in Kharkiv Oblast, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s 13th National Guard Khartiia Brigade told Suspilne on April 20.
Russia "is actively using the so-called Easter truce to amass personnel," the brigade’s press service said.
"There is a very high likelihood they plan to use this pause as a pretext to resume active offensive operations."
The statement comes as Ukraine accuses Russia of multiple violations of the Easter truce, with Moscow also continuing to reject a broader ceasefire deal supported by Kyiv and Washington.
Although Russian artillery fire has decreased, the spokesperson noted that drone attacks on Ukrainian positions have intensified.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the so-called Easter ceasefire on April 19. The Kremlin framed the truce, set to last from 6 p.m. Moscow time on April 19 through midnight on April 21, as a "humanitarian" gesture.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has saidRussia used the holiday truce to stage nearly 3,000 ceasefire violations, citing briefings from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
The violations reportedly included 96 ground assaults, nearly 1,900 artillery strikes, and the deployment of more than 950 first-person-view drones.
Ukrainian units in the Kharkiv Oblast have maintained a strictly defensive posture, responding only to direct Russian attacks to defend troops and hold the line, according to the Khartiia Brigade.
"Our forces are firing only in response (to Russian attacks)," the spokesperson told Suspilne.
Russia has been pressing a new spring offensive in Ukraine’s northeast, with Zelensky warning earlier this month that attacks on Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts are part of broader plans to seize large parts of territory.
"They have not changed their plans," he said, noting a continued Russian focus on Donetsk, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as well.
According to Zelensky, Russia’s largest tactical gains came in late 2024 but have since stalled amid rising losses.
It has been more than a month since Russia rejected a full 30-day ceasefire suggested by the U.S. administration. Kyiv maintains it is ready for a complete ceasefire if Moscow agrees to reciprocate.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
The Kyiv Independent news desk
